Abilene ISD -

The Cooper Cougars close the regular season tonight in a winner-take-all game against Amarillo Palo Duro.

The game, which will decide the final playoff team from District 2-5A Division II, will kick off at 7 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium.

Cooper has won back-to-back district games and is currently in fourth place at 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the league. Palo Duro – which beat Wichita Falls Legacy last week – is 4-5 and 1-4. A Cooper win would give it a 3-3 district record, securing the league’s fourth playoff berth and a spot in the playoffs for the Cougars for the 18th straight year. A Palo Duro win would leave both teams at 2-4 but give the Dons the playoff spot because of the head-to-head victory.

The playoffs are starting a week early for the teams meeting for the sixth time, with Cooper holding a 5-0 series lead over Palo Duro.

Two weeks ago, in their 45-21 win over Wichita Falls Legacy, quarterback Austin Cummins put the Cougars on his back and carried them to the win. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 84 yards and one score, accounting for five of the Cougars’ six touchdowns.

In addition to Cummins’ production, the Coogs got 90 yards and a touchdown rushing from Peyton Ewing, and Zavian Alexander added 130 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Zaylon Johnson also had a 57-yard touchdown catch for Cooper, which finished with 411 yards of total offense.

Fans planning to attend the game can purchase tickets here. AISD has implemented a clear bag policy at Shotwell Stadium and the Shotwell Annex.

Fans can also listen to the Cougars’ audio feed here. Jimmy Pogue and Rick Cason will call the action. AISD Live will provide the video stream, which is available here.

The Abilene High Eagles are off this week after their first loss in District 2-5A Division I in two seasons. Last Thursday, they lost 31-17 to Lubbock Monterey in Lubbock. On Thursday night, Monterey beat Caprock, 49-0, to improve to 6-4 and 5-1 and secure a co-district championship with Abilene High. The head-to-head win over the Eagles gives the Plainsmen the No. 1 seed out of the district going into the playoffs, while the Eagles will be the No. 2 seed.

The Eagles couldn’t get their offense untracked against a stingy Monterey defense that limited AHS to a season-low 263 yards of offense and 17 points. AHS ran for just 42 yards on 21 carries, while quarterback Tristan Beal completed 16 of 23 passes for 221 yards and two scores. Both touchdown passes – from 30 and 70 yards – went to Ryland Bradford, who caught five passes for 130 yards.

With his two touchdown receptions last week, Bradford is now the program’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns (31). Those two TD catches ran his season total to 16, surpassing the old single-season record of 14 set by Lyle Leong Jr. in 2005.

Tonight's games in District 2-5A Division I are Lubbock High vs. Lubbock Coronado and Amarillo Tascosa against Amarillo High. The district’s playoff teams are Lubbock Monterey, Abilene High, Amarillo High, and Amarillo Tascosa.

Tonight's District 2-5A Division I games include the district champion Wylie at Plainview and Wichita Falls Memorial facing winless Wichita Falls Legacy. The playoff teams are Wylie, Wichita Falls Memorial, Lubbock Cooper, and the winner of Palo Duro vs. Abilene Cooper.

VOLLEYBALL: Seasons End in Bi-District Round of Playoffs
The volleyball seasons for Abilene High and Cooper ended Tuesday night in Brownfield in a Class 5A bi-district doubleheader at Brownfield High School Gym.

The Lady Eagles – who beat Cooper, 3-0, last Friday night in a seeding match at ACU – dropped a 3-0 decision to 25th-ranked Amarillo Tascosa. The Lady Eagles finished their season at 15-25.

The Lady Cougars – who rebounded from a slow start in district play to earn the league’s fourth spot in the playoffs – lost to third-ranked Amarillo High, 3-0. The Lady Cougars finished their season at 15-23.

CROSS COUNTRY: Lady Eagles Finish 14th at State Meet 
The Abilene High Lady Eagles finished 14th at the Class 5A state championship meet last Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. Smithson Valley won the state championship with 54 points, followed by Lucas Lovejoy in second, followed by Aledo, McAllen, and A&M Consolidated in the top five. AHS scored 304 points to finish 14th.

Senior Mason Murray led the Lady Eagles, finishing 17th overall, covering the 5000-meter course in 18 minutes and 59.50 seconds. Abilene High’s other finishers were sophomore Aubrey Duran (84th in 20:12.80), sophomore Remie Batten (105th in 20:43.00), senior Zoe Vann (16th in 20:57.70), junior Emily Brumley (127th in 21:26.60), senior Jazlyn Ortiz (141st in 22:47.60), and senior Caroline Bessent (142nd in 22:49.80).

On the boys’ side, Abilene High senior John Alcantar finished 35th overall, finishing the 5000-meter run in 16:23.30.